M O N T H LY N E W S L E T T E R
FUR
By: Seth Spack, Dane Roken and Becca Miles
is fur scarves, coats
In this picture there
.
and fur puffs in mink
Fur is a body hair of any non-human
mammal, also known as the pelage.
I n f or m a t i o n o n fu r
Fur is one of the oldest forms of
clothing, thought widely used as
hominids first expanded outside of
Africa. The exact date when fur
was first used in clothing is
debated.
Fur clothing of some form is worn
in virtually every country. Furs are
especially popular in colder
countries due to their excellent
properties of insulation. Fur also
forms a part of traditional Russian,
Scandinavian, and Japanese
clothing.
h t t p : / / w w w . i sc e s s o r i e s . j p g 
pics/Fur_
, ponchos,
Fur is found on the bodies of
animals. The popular animals are
fox, coyotes, and rabbit. Fur is
basically all over the world. Where
you can find an animal with fur, is
where you can find fur.
In Canada they use mink fur to use
for heavier coats. In China they
use Acrylic fabric with small fur,
used for making auto upholstery,
apparel, and home textiles. In
Japan they use siberia fur to use in
paintbrushes.
b2b/
plc2006.org/
Ba s i c s
Fu r
Sources of Fur
c
Animal sources for fur clothing and
A
fur trimmed accessories include fox,
rabbit, mink, beaver, stoat, otter,
sable, seals, cats, dogs, coyotes, and
chinchilla.
Harvesting Fur
To harvest fur you can trap an animal
using box traps, or you can hunt an
animal and kill it to shave of the fur.
Sheep for example you do not kill it to
get the fur, instead they just shave
them or cut down their fur at least
twice a year.
Processing Fur
Pelts bought at fur auctions must be
cleaned and made flexible by a
process called dressing. First, the
pelts are softened in a salt solution
that removes all excess tissue and
grease. Next, the processors apply a
special grease to the leather and put
the skins into a machine called a
kicker. The kicker has wooden feet
that pound the grease into every pore
of the skin. The pelts are then placed
in revolving drums, where they are
cleaned and dried with special
sawdust and compressed air. Later,
the processors may pluck out the
long guard hairs, leaving only the
thick fur fibers. The fur may also be
sheared shorter to give it a plush
effect.